Psalm 118:4-6 – Let those who fear the Lord say, "His steadfast love endures forever." Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free. The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? (ESV)

I have an optical mouse. It has two batteries. One makes it light up, and the other, apparently, is for the wireless connection to the receiver. However, the battery for the wireless transmission seems to run out before the one for the light. So, when the mouse was not moving the cursor on the screen, I was concerned, because the light on the mouse showed by shining that it had detected my mouse movement.

Fortunately, I have had enough previous experience of this phenomenon to be immediately suspicious when it happens. I swap the batteries around to see if the problem is overcome. The first time that it happened, I was dumbfounded by it, and I thought — wrongly, as it later transpired — that both the batteries were joined in circuit to power the whole of the device. So, I looked for the problem elsewhere on the computer, only to come back later to the batteries as the real cause.

There is a saying, with variations: "The light is on but no one is home!" For me, it means that someone is physically present but that their mind is elsewhere, or that they are unable to comprehend or unwilling to engage with the issue or situation.

Sadly, that saying has a parallel with both my mouse and my spiritual life: I can be moving about, but my connection with God is far from where I am. My mind and heart are elsewhere, usually on work, television, cars, or life. It appears that I have become disconnected from God.

God is still there waiting for me to bond with Him. It is all perfectly predictable. This is nothing new, and the signs are becoming more quickly recognizable. It is usually, if not always, when I have been too busy sometime earlier to give God the time to wait upon Him and receive His infilling, peace, and grace.

Let us work at becoming faster to recognize the symptoms of disconnection — failure, pride, covetousness, wilfulness — and to put things right, because a life that does not have Jesus at its centre is heading for disconnection.

Jeremiah 33:2-3 – Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it — the Lord is his name: Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. (ESV)

Prayer: Lord, let Your light shine in us, and may it be efficacious. Forgive us for our foolishness, and rectify our failures. May our inner being be focused on You, so that we can hear Your voice and get re-joined. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Forward this devotional     Share on Facebook

About the author:

Rod Marshall <roderickhenrymarshall@gmail.com>
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England
Send your feedback to the author